Took Me By Surprise
by untapdtreasure
Summary: He saw the way she leaned close to hear what he had to say and the sound of her laughter set his teeth on edge. (Spoilers: 16x07 Chicago Crossover and/or 16x20 Daydream Believer)


Title: Took Me By Surprise  
Author: untapdtreasure  
Rating: K+  
Spoilers: 16x07 Chicago Crossover and/or 16x20 Daydream Believer  
Summary: He saw the way she leaned close to hear what he had to say and the sound of her laughter set his teeth on edge.  
A/N: This was written for a prompt that I received a long, long time ago on tumblr about a jealous Barba.

Barba tried to ignore the way Olivia stood close to Voight. Almost as if there was some unseen pull that drew the pair together. He saw the way she leaned close to hear what he had to say and the sound of her laughter set his teeth on edge.

After downing his second scotch, he stood up and pulled a twenty from his wallet and threw it on the bar. He nodded at Nick and gave a slight wave to Olivia as she met his eyes over the countertop. He grabbed his coat and headed for the exit. He felt as if he was suffocating. He pushed the glass door open, letting the chilly night air wash over him as he took several deep breaths in and out.

It was only when he reached the corner that he heard someone following him and calling his name. He turned, surprised to see Olivia. "I didn't think you'd be leaving anytime soon." He didn't like the clipped edge to his voice. She'd done nothing wrong. It wasn't her fault if Voight caused him to feel something he hadn't felt in a very long time.

Jealous.

She frowned and tilted her head as she tried to figure out just what had happened back there in the bar. "Barba, what gives? The way you just left without so much as a goodbye. They'll be flying out later tonight..."

He put up his hands. "It's not like we're best pals with any of them, Liv. Especially me." He draped his suit jacket over his arm and rocked back on his heels. "What did you want me to do?" His brow wrinkled as he tried to stop himself from digging his hole any deeper. He was the only one that controlled the way he felt. He rolled his eyes and let out a soft sigh. "Look, Liv. It has been a long week..."

She snorted softly and rolled her eyes, mocking his actions from moments before. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were jealous." She felt her cheeks grow flushed as she realized that she had hit the nail directly on the head with her observation. "Barba..." Her tone softened as her hand came out to rest against his wrist, gripping it gently with her fingers. "Rafael..."

He shook his head, glancing in both directions in hopes that no one had heard their conversations. Especially no one that they worked with on a regular basis as they were in a popular cop bar. "That's absurd. Liv, I told you. It's been a long week."

She squeezed his wrist once more before sliding her fingers along the back of his hand and gripped his fingers with her own before lacing them together. "Since when do we lie to one another?" She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue and searched his eyes. "Let me get my jacket and say goodbye, and I'll let you take me home."

He opened his mouth to protest further, but he ended up closing it when no sound came out. He nodded slowly. "I'll get us a cab," he finally managed as her hand slipped from his. He watched as she disappeared back inside the bar as he drew in another deep breath, trying to calm the beating of his heart.

He had no idea what had just happened, but he couldn't say that he was entirely disappointed. Olivia Benson had just been holding his hand, and now she was allowing him to accompany her home to discuss things. And who knew what would happen after that. Maybe more than talking.

He collected himself enough to step toward the street to hail a cab just as she was exiting the bar once again heading in his direction. "All set?"

"You bet."

The night had taken an unforeseen turn, and he couldn't help but notice that the sparkle in her eyes caused his heart to skip a beat. Tonight everything would change for them, and for the first time in his life, he was ready for that change. He wanted to embrace whatever new thing was about to occur between them with open arms and an open heart.

/the end


End file.
